Microfluidic chip with dielectrophoretic electrodes extending in hydrophilic flow path

a technology of dielectrophoretic electrodes and microfluidic chips, applied in the field of microfluidic chips, can solve the problems of incompatibility with the requirements of microfluidic chip fabrication, manufacturing processes and cost of fabrication, and methods that lack flexibility or operate with limited sample types and flow conditions
US20160367988A1Inactive Publication Date: 2016-12-22IBM CORP
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
IBM CORP
Publication Date
2016-12-22
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

The present invention is notably directed to a microfluidic chip (1, 1a) comprising: a flow path (22) defined by a hydrophilic surface; a liquid input (24, 24a, 24b) on one side of the flow path; at least one electrical circuit (62), hereafter DEP circuit, comprising at least one pair of dielectrophoretic electrodes (E21, E22), hereafter DEP electrodes, wherein: each of the DEP electrodes extends transverse to the flow path; and the DEP circuit is configured to generate a dielectrophoretic force, hereafter DEP force, at the level of the DEP electrodes. The chip may further include one or more electroosmotic circuits. The present invention is further directed to methods of operation of such a microfluidic chip.
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Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates in general to the field of microfluidic chips. It is in particular directed to microfluidic chips equipped with dielectrophoretic and electroosmotic circuits, e.g., wafer-based fabricated chips having electrodes extending through microstructures thereof.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Microfluidics generally refers to microfabricated devices, which are used for pumping, sampling, mixing, analyzing and dosing liquids. Prominent features thereof originate from the peculiar behavior that liquids exhibit at the micrometer length scale. Flow of liquids in microfluidics is typically laminar. Volumes well below one nanoliter can be reached by fabricating structures with lateral dimensions in the micrometer range. Reactions that are limited at large scales (by diffusion of reactants) can be accelerated. Finally, parallel streams of liquids can possibly be accurately and reproducibly controlled, allowing for chemical reactions and gradients ...

Claims

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